A 12-year-old girl was gang-raped in Ayodhya a few days ago. Her mother accused local Samajwadi Party leaders of offering her money to withdraw her complaint against the accused. Speaking to India Today TV, she named Mohammed Rashid, the Samajwadi Party’s Bhadarsa Nagar Panchayat Chairman, as one of those who approached her for a settlement. On July 30, police arrested Moid Khan, a local Samajwadi Party leader who owns a bakery, and his employee Raju Khan for the crime. The girl’s mother claimed that Khan and Raju took her daughter to the fields and raped her.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and state police have promised a thorough investigation. Meanwhile, a Bahujan Samaj Party leader, Vishwanath Pal, stated that the girl’s mother reported being pressured to compromise. The incident came to light after a medical checkup revealed the girl’s pregnancy.
The BJP and CM Adityanath alleged that Moid Khan is associated with the Samajwadi Party, which the party has denied, calling for justice for the victim. Party leader Akhilesh Yadav has urged the court to protect the survivor and condemned attempts to politicize the case. He also controversially demanded a DNA test for the accused.
While this was reported in mainstream media such as India Today and Times of India, it did not get media attention nor the attention of the leftists or the feminists. Is it because the perpetrator is from a specific community? Is it because the victim is a Hindu?
Attention to cases such as the Kathua or Hathras case took a drastic turn with a toolkit gang and heavy media attention dragging the story for months on television and newspapers.
The Hathras case, involving the alleged gang rape and subsequent death of a 19-year-old Dalit girl in Uttar Pradesh on September 14, 2020, has ignited significant political controversy. The victim died two weeks later, and her body was reportedly cremated without her family’s consent. Initially reported by the Hindi daily Jagran as a family feud involving a single youth, Sandeep, the narrative shifted after a senior Congress leader met the victim. Within a week, allegations of gang rape by four upper-caste men emerged.
The case gained political traction, with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath ordering a CBI inquiry. Accusations and counter-accusations flew between parties, with the BJP and CM Adityanath alleging Samajwadi Party involvement, which the party denied. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi demanded justice, while Akhilesh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party called for the court to protect the survivor.
The narrative was further complicated by claims from the accused’s families of being falsely implicated due to a longstanding family feud. Forensic reports later suggested no sexual assault, leading to allegations of caste violence incitement. Amid this, the victim’s family opposed the CBI probe, and UP Minister Shastri accused the opposition of inciting riots. Yogi Adityanath eventually ordered a CBI investigation, with the case continuing to evolve amidst significant media and political scrutiny. This case was heavily scrutinized by the media.
Coming to the Kathua case, on January 10, 2018, an 8-year-old girl from the nomadic Bakherwal tribe was kidnapped near Rasana village. Her body was found on January 17, 2018, in nearby woods. The crime led to the convictions of village head Sanji Ram, four policemen including special police officers Deepak Khajuria and Surender Verma, head constable Tilak Raj, and sub-inspector Anand Dutta. Vishal Jangotra, Sanji Ram’s son, was acquitted after proving he was away for an exam.
The crime’s occurrence inside a temple was accentuated by Bollywood “celebrities” such as Swara Bhaskar, Kareena Kapoor, and Sonam Kapoor through their infamous placard campaign. The case took on a communal angle as leftist organizations and media outlets like NDTV focused more on the victim’s Muslim identity and the Hindu identity of the perpetrators, alleging communal motives. NDTV was even awarded for its coverage of the case.
Thanks to all their efforts, this case drew significant national and international attention, fueling debates on communal tensions and the handling of crimes against women and children in India.
Coming back to the Ayodhya case of just a few days ago, media attention is missing – TV channels are not focusing on this issue. Now that Bangladesh’s turmoil has taken centrestage, issues such as these will go unnoticed or buried under the chaos.
